Social Sustainability
Reskilling
Definition
Reskilling is the process of equipping workers with the skills needed for a different job or occupation, distinct from upskilling (deepening skills in the current role). Structural change — decarbonisation, digitalisation, automation — continuously eliminates and creates roles; the World Economic Forum has estimated that a large share of workers will need significant reskilling within this decade.
References
This reference provides supporting context for how “Reskilling” is defined and used.
Source imported for editorial provenance.
Overview
How it is used
The concept structures just transition policy, workforce development programmes, corporate human-capital reporting and green-skills initiatives such as the EU Pact for Skills.
Why it matters
Transitions are judged politically by what happens to workers; reskilling is the principal mechanism for making transformation an opportunity rather than a threat.